Description

A PARIS REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Highly accomplished, deeply satisfying … I marked up almost every page’ TLS

‘Laugh-out-loud funny’ DAILY MAIL

‘My favourite nihilistic romantic’ RACHEL KUSHNER

What’s this book about? Is there a restroom? Do you have gluten-free bagels? Do you work here? Do you have a restroom? Do I buy books or rent books or what?

Sean knows that the worst thing about a bookshop is the customers. Then there’s the gift-wrapping, the invoicing, the Yelp reviews. The overwhelming sense of self-loathing after another day of not writing a novel yourself.

While Sean’s book remains unfinished, his city has changed around him. As have friends and acquaintances, at least the ones who keep in touch. The service industry is different, too. But what, or whom, is he serving anyway?

Publisher Review

A winning mix of scabrous workplace comedy and mischievous metafiction * Observer * Savage, furious, hilarious and melancholic all at once — Suzi Feay * Financial Times * A wicked sense of humour * The New York Times * Entertaining and surprisingly inventive … a novel that reaches beyond itself * Irish Times * Highly accomplished, deeply satisfying … I marked up almost every page for the zingers, the takedowns and the memorable sad man lit bantz * TLS * Full of whipsmart lines on the drudgery of retail, the futility of art and the hateful lifestyles of hipsters, Service is laugh-out-loud funny and nearly always bang-on true * Daily Mail * A bleakly funny read * Crack * So heartfelt that we find ourselves howling with laughter because, despite his best efforts, John Tottenham writes with a rare comic intensity and re-creates himself in the guise of an unforgettable character in fiction — Colm Toibin The weariest bohemian, with a Keatsian death-drive he somehow keeps outliving, John Tottenham is my favourite nihilistic romantic — Rachel Kushner, Booker-shortlisted author of Creation Lake Hilarious… A book about the destruction of bohemia and the nightmare of trying to live–let alone make art–with very little money. * The New York Review of Books * Acerbic, misanthropic and surprisingly funny * Sunday Post * Hilarious, refreshingly mean-spirited and often brilliant * Washington Post * A post-punk Byron … Service looks like a blow but is a prayer — Constance Debre, award-winning author of Love Me Tender Tottenham is an extraordinarily fine writer. He is blessed with a gift for observation … this is a book of the moment — Jarett Kobek, author of the internationally bestselling novel I Hate the Internet Consistently hilarious and occasionally heartening — Los Angeles Review of Books This gritty, bleak, nihilistic, yet darkly funny, novel contains more insight into bookseller life than the many dozens of other contemporary novels on the subject * Lit Hub * The funniest novel about thwarted literary ambitions and professional jealousy since Amis’ The Information * Buzz Mag * Quite some achievement, taking wit, humour and sharp observational powers * Strong Words * A brutally honest, insightful, intelligent and absolutely hilarious novel — Michael Imperioli